Matt Webster’s career once seemed destined to stay within the walls of Electronic Arts. He started at the company in 1990 and spent nearly twenty years developing titles for Criterion, the studio behind Burnout and Need for Speed, which EA acquired in 2004. In early 2023, however, Webster, together with former Criterion colleagues Steve Uphill, Pete Lake, Andrei Shires and Alan McDairmant, decided to strike out on their own and launch the independent UK studio Fuse Games. Three and a half years later the fledgling studio is on the verge of releasing its debut title, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, under the banner of the newly independent publisher Secret Mode.
Galactic Racer arrives roughly 24 years after the last Star Wars‑themed racing game, 2002’s Racer Revenge, and it does so at a time when the racing genre has largely slipped out of the mainstream spotlight. Amazon recently walked away from a publishing agreement with Maverick Games for its upcoming driving title Clutch, with Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis remarking that the market didn’t seem to have room for another racer. Criterion itself has pivoted away from racing to focus on the Battlefield franchise. Yet Webster remains convinced there is still a hungry audience for a Star Wars racing experience.
"We clearly see a demand for a Star Wars‑based racing game," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "Our community of fans, the people who watch our videos and read our posts, they’re telling us they want something like this. It’s not just us. Genres are cyclical – shooters dominated for a while, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stay on top forever.
As more people play video games, even the tiniest niches can find a sizable following." According to Webster, modern players are craving "fun, interesting, compelling new experiences that they haven’t seen before," and he believes Galactic Racer delivers exactly that. The team set out to capture the instant gratification of classic arcade racers while also exploring what can be done when you’re no longer bound by realistic tyres and tarmac. "Imagine a track that climbs the side of an active volcano," he explained.
"It feels like a roller‑coaster, and that kind of over‑the‑top fun is what we wanted." Beyond the high‑octane thrills, Galactic Racer aims to upend long‑standing conventions of the racing genre. For two decades, most racing games have been built around a car‑collection model – earn credits, buy new vehicles, repeat.
Webster wants to rip that formula up and borrow mechanics from other genres. One of the most striking innovations is the introduction of meaningful consequences for crashing. In many modern racers, a rewind button erases mistakes, making crashes feel inconsequential. Fuse Games decided to bring the risk back: crash too often and you’re sent back to the start, though you retain some meta‑progression that makes your next attempt slightly stronger.
This creates a tension reminiscent of roguelike titles such as Hades, Returnal and Slay the Spire, which are designed for infinite replayability. "Racing thrives on replayability," Webster noted, "so marrying it with roguelike stakes feels like a match made in heaven." The consequence system is designed to make each mistake feel weighty. When a player is on their final allowed crash, the game signals danger, forcing the racer to weigh risk versus reward.
This design choice is a deliberate departure from the hand‑holding that has become common in AAA titles, and it reflects Webster’s belief that players will reward bold, skill‑based gameplay. Timing the launch is another strategic consideration. Galactic Racer is slated for release on October 6, a comfortable window before the highly anticipated GTA 6 launch on November 19, yet after other major releases such as Control: Resonance and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24.
Webster acknowledges that September and October have historically been crowded months – recalling the industry’s old nickname “Murderers’ Row” for a packed October slate – but he remains confident that a well‑crafted, distinctive game can cut through the noise. The interview also touched on the broader industry climate, especially the wave of layoffs that has swept through major studios.
Webster, who has witnessed a similar contraction a decade and a half ago, believes that great teams still make great games, and great games will find their audience. He argues that the current risk‑averse atmosphere actually creates opportunities for studios willing to take calculated bets.
"If you’re not willing to risk, you limit yourself," he said. "But those willing to push boundaries can capture the market’s attention." Funding an independent studio in 2023 has not been easy. Webster recalls being told, "You’re brave starting an indie studio now," after spending 32 years inside EA’s protective bubble. He emphasized that the core principles he learned at EA – building a solid team, refining a clear creative vision, and maintaining disciplined yet adaptable planning – remain vital.
He stresses that a motivated, engaged team is the engine behind any successful project. Fuse Games operates with a relatively lean core staff of around 75 people, a conscious choice to avoid the boom‑and‑bust staffing cycles that plague many larger studios. Instead of expanding and contracting the internal team, Fuse relies heavily on external development partners to fill gaps.
This hybrid model blends transactional outsourcing for asset creation with deeper co‑development relationships where external studios attend daily stand‑ups, join Slack channels, and contribute directly to the codebase. Webster points out that the UK’s mature development ecosystem makes it an ideal hub for such collaborations, noting a cultural shift from reluctant, grudging assistance to enthusiastic, value‑aligned partnership. Webster believes this model demonstrates that a AAA‑scale game – in terms of scope, visual fidelity, and ambition – can be produced on a sustainable budget when a small, permanent core team is augmented by trusted external studios.
The rapid development timeline of Galactic Racer – conceived in January 2023 and ready for launch just over three years later on Unreal Engine 5, a tool none of the team had previously mastered – serves as proof of concept. Another notable aspect of Fuse’s approach is its emphasis on nurturing young talent.
Alongside the veteran Criterion alumni, the studio has hired numerous early‑career developers, even bringing on a producer with no prior game‑industry experience. Webster praises the fresh perspectives these newcomers bring, stating they often outperform older, more seasoned colleagues in creativity and efficiency. He observes that senior developers sometimes prefer working with peers who require minimal mentorship, but that such an environment can stifle growth. By deliberately seeking and supporting younger staff, Fuse hopes to build a pipeline of future leaders.
An intern program is on the horizon, though Webster cautions that the studio is still pre‑revenue and must balance ambition with financial reality. Reflecting on a period five or six years ago when the industry was flush with cash, Webster recalls how many successful teams were given funding to spin off into their own studios, only to discover the challenges of independence.
He argues that money should be allocated to strong teams rather than to a mythologized "single creative visionary," a notion he calls "fucking bullshit." In his view, games are always collaborative endeavors, and the idea of a lone auteur is a harmful fantasy. Looking ahead, Fuse Games remains flexible. While the launch of Galactic Racer is just the first step, the studio is already contemplating future projects and potential partnerships.
"For an independent developer today you have to be adaptable," Webster says. "We have ideas, we have a direction, but we’ll stay open to where the market and our own growth take us."